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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Canal Point, Florida » Sugarcane Field Station » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #384069
Research Project: Development of High-Yielding, Stress Tolerant Sugarcane Cultivars Using Agronomic, Genetic, and Molecular Approaches

Location: Sugarcane Field Station

Title: Quantifying sugarcane cultivar genetic gains in the Canal Point Breeding Program for sandy soils in Florida

Author
item Coto Arbelo, Orlando
item Momotaz, Aliya
item SANDHU, HARDEV - University Of Florida
item DAVIDSON, WAYNE - Florida Sugarcane League
item BALTAZAR, MIGUEL - Florida Sugarcane League
item Zhao, Duli
item LABORDE, CHRIST - Us Sugar Corporation
item BARRETO, EVERTON - Us Sugar Corporation

Submitted to: American Society of Sugar Cane Technologists
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/14/2021
Publication Date: 6/15/2021
Citation: Coto Arbelo, O., Momotaz, A., Sandhu, H.S., Davidson, W.R., Baltazar, M., Zhao, D., Laborde, C., Barreto, E. 2021. Quantifying sugarcane cultivar genetic gains in the Canal Point Breeding Program for sandy soils in Florida. American Society of Sugar Cane Technologists. 41:3-4.

Interpretive Summary: N/A

Technical Abstract: The Canal Point (CP) sugarcane breeding and cultivar development program started to release new sugarcane cultivars to be cultivated mainly on sandy soils in 2011. Therefore, it is imperative to evaluate the efficiency of the CP selection program estimating the cultivar genetic gains for this type of soils. The genetic gains refer to the increase in yield derived from the release of cultivars over time. The genetic gains by year of release were determined for stalk weight (kg stalk-1), number of stalks (stalks ha-1), commercial recoverable sucrose (CRS, kg Mg-1), cane yield (CY, Mg ha-1) and sucrose yield (SY, Mg ha-1). Data were derived from the final stage (Stage 4) of cultivar testing. Twenty-five cultivars released for sandy soils from 2011 to 2020 and two commercial cultivars (CP 96-1252, and CPCL 97-2730) were used to assess the genetic gains. The two commercial cultivars occupied 55 % of the cultivar’s acreage on sandy soils in Florida in 2019. There was 0.02 kg stalk-1 yr-1 stalk weight genetic gain. Genetic gains were 0.16 kg Mg-1 yr-1 for CRS, 1.94 Mg ha-1 yr-1 for CY, and 0.26 Mg ha-1 yr-1 for SY. There was no genetic gain for number of stalks. Cultivars released after 2017 had the average genetic gains of 12.1 % in CY and 11.7 % in SY compared with mean values of those two commercial cultivars. Our results indicate that progress has been observed in selecting high tonnage clones on sandy soils in the CP sugarcane breeding program.